In His head
by JenTWCSINYFAN
Summary: Derek morgan has known emily for sometime at work now and he can'tjust see her as a friend and coworker.
1. Chapter 1

Profiling is a Lonely Game: Morgan and Prentiss

He sometimes liked to watch her walk. She had a confidence in her stride and about the way she handled herself. Emily Prentiss was a beautiful woman. And Derek Morgan wanted more than just being a coworker and friend with her, but yet for some reason he hadn't gotten up the nerve to make a move. She'd never put up with his usual stuff and he wanted more than a few week relationship with her. She always smelled like coconut or vanilla which suited her. He put on his usual headphones with his Ipod before they got on the jet to fly to their latest case, this one in Delaware. A series of arsons had been taking place at kids playgrounds and their equipment was being burned. There had been no casualties until last week when a small boy had been playing in the sandbox with a roof over it to keep out too much sun and it had collapsed killing him and seriously injuring his older sister. He hated the ones where kids suffered needlessly and upset parents.

He watched Emily as she went into business mode and pulled her hair back into her ponytail that she wore in the field. She had gotten a few subtle red highlights in her black hair and they looked good on her.

After this was over he was asking her out and if she shot him down so be it.

He turned on his music which was older Rhythm and Blues sometimes or jazz. Once in a while he listened to some Rap but not often. Then Reid took his usual place across from him. He and the boy genius had formed a bond over the years. Sort of big brother like. It wouldn't be long before the rest of the team was on the plane and they would be ready to go. Another flight and they would be in a new town trying to once again stop the bad guys . They were modern day superheroes of a kind. Sometimes they won and sometimes they suffered losses.


	2. Headache?

"Morgan i am sorry about Clooney, i just heard." Reid commented softly.

Derek replied "Well i had him for fourteen years kid, he was two when i rescued him from that dark alley . That's a good life for a chocolate lab mix. I miss him sometimes being there when i get back."

Then he was quiet again. Emily hadn't known about his dog, he might have just told Garcia she figured. Sometimes he kept things close to the vest. Didn't want to look too soft but yet she knew on some level that hurt him more than he was showing.

Then she watched him and his hand moved up to rub the back of his neck. So it was getting to him, the pressure of Hotch's job and being the temporary replacement for the boss. Poor guy. She imagined he was relieved that that was behind him.

She opened her small purse/ backpack combination and rummaged around inside. She always kept a backup bottle of Tylenol Extra Strength with her. Never know who might need it on the team or if she would herself. She opend it and got out two tablets. Then she went and handed them and a plastic bottle of cold water from the back of the jet that they kept. She could at least be a friend right now and offer him something to feel better. The profilers needed to be up to speed on this one. And she knew he hated cases involving kids. They all had their rough spots. Though something told her more was eating at him then crazy hours and extra responsibility at the moment.

Then she walked up to where he was sitting and said" Tension headache?" "I used to get them sometimes in college, here." She handed him the pills and the water.

He replied "Thank you Em, nice to have a lady want to make it better for me that isn't my mom or one of my sisters." he smiled slightly.

She nodded. "Take those pills and close your eyes for a while, you'll find a nap does wonders for a tired profiler."

He said "Yeah i could take a few to decompress." He swallowed the pills with some water and his eyes closed slowly. "Thanks again."

She smiled. "Just feel better ok. Garcia would want to kick my butt if i didn't watch out for her god of thunder."


	3. The Crime Scene

On the ground: Morgan had gotten a little sleep on the plane and so as a result felt better when they were landing . He said" I just don't get why someone would want to trash a playground. I mean the world is scary enough for kids these days and someone hurts where they play."

Hotch replied" Sometimes things just don't make sense. Why don't you and Prentiss go to the crime scene after we talk to the locals. There has to be a reason why a person would take this out on children. Maybe they lost one themselves or someone took a child away for some reason."

Rossi said "I'll go to the police station with reid and start trying for a tentative profile. Maybe Garcia cna find us some information too about recent events here in this town."

JJ sighed. "i just hope there aren't too many upset mothers. Sometimes that gets to me."

Then the teams headed off in different directions to start working.

The playground: Prentiss touched Morgan's arm gently for a miniute while they were parking the truck. "Are you sure you're ok, i mean i know kids can be hard on you as victims."

He said "I'm fine, the minute i am not i'll pull myself away and ask to go back to Quantico."

She replied "All right just checking. I can understand since this makes no sense to me either. " She got out of the truck and started to walk into the gated entrance of the local park. "This is a peaceful place, or it should be. So why did someone violate that?" She moved toward where the damage had been done. "I wish i'd been to more playgrounds as a child." 

Morgan said "You didn't get to go there? I mean when you weren't in school and stuff?"

She replied "We traveled so much for my mothers job and then well my father died when i was eight so i guess most of being a kid ended for me about that time. There werent; many kids around the places we lived anyway. Probably why i can be a loner sometimes, this team is the closest i have had to well family in a long time."

Morgan nodded. " I can understand that. Hard to grow up before you're ready to understand what that means. "

They started looking around the scene for ideas or theories.

Emily said "So i'm a mother who has recently lost a child. How do i handle that, do i come here where we might have gone together to play or do i bury that in my mind and try to move on."

Morgan said" It would hurt like hell. I would think you would want to remember the good times and things that they liked to do eventually. Maybe even watch other children play and have fun at some point. There would have to be something to make you snap though, some stressor."

She said" Ok so my spouse leaves me over the death or say abduction. So i am consumed, feeling like i have nothing. Or what if for some reason i couldn't have children would that make me angry enough?"


	4. A Hint Appears

"Em if you wanted to have kids and couldn't have them biologically there could still be ways to make that happen. Today people have so many choices about that and starting families."

She looked at him. "Whoa i was talking in general as a victim or the unsub. I am lucky i can keep my cat alive right now with my schedule and our hours."

He shrugged"I guess i over thought. I know it would hurt a lot to a woman. So does losing a baby for whatever reason. That never quite heals no matter how much time passes."

He walked over to a bench that was painted a bright shade of blue and didn't seem like the others around the playground. Then he saw the plaque on the back of it. "This bench was one of Samuel Thomas Messers favorite places to sit and color during his five short years of life. We place it here so some other little boy or girl can love it too." Then the year 2000- 2005 was underneath it and the names Megan and Nicholas Messer.

Emily said "I think you might have found us someone who might know more about this park than we do."

Derek Replied" I'll call Garcia. Though i don't want to upset innocent parents by making them relive whatever happened to their son."

Emily nodded." I'll tell Hotch what we found at least and let him make the call."

He said"All right." Then he dialed his cell.

Garcia answered" Fountain of Brilliance."

He said"I know you are baby girl but can you find out some stuff for me. Samuel, Megan and Nicholas Messer. There is a bench at our crime scene for this boy and i just want to know what happened and how they are dealing with it."

She replied" Sure, but the question i should be asking is are you able to?" Then she hung up.

Derek smiled. She knew him too well.

Emily said " So i take it Garcia is doing her magic?" "That woman is incredible."

Derek said " Remember that on her birthday and Christmas and you're her friend for life." He smiled

Then Emily called Hotch and told him what they had found with the Messer family and the bench in the park. She said "We can look a little longer but there isn't much here in the way of evidence at the moment." "He seems ok right now. If he isn't he'll tell you himself." Then she hung up.

Derek said" Let me guess Hotch is wondering if i'm ok. Well sometimes even Batman gets his cape wrinkled and then he moves onward."

Emily looked at him. "Well that was definitely a big everybody don't worry bat signal if i ever heard one." Then she walked ahead of him to look around more.

Derek sighed. "Em i'm sorry ok. I have had a tough few weeks off the job and i just snarked at you for no reason."

She replied"It's tough losing a good pet. They become family after a time."

He nodded. "Yeah that they do."


	5. Chapter 5

"You know Derek you don't have to be the strong one all the time, it's ok?"

"Emily are you profiling me now because sweetheart that would take years ." He smiled at her a little.

She looked at him. " No i'm just saying that it's ok to need a break, we all do. You have been handling Hotch's job and your own for a while, something's bound to give."

He shrugged. "My dog did, i had him for fourteen years you don't get that with lab mixes. Longer than any woman in my life with the exception of family and Garcia."

She said "So i know your father died when you were young, i didn't really know mine, he was a slave to politics and helping my mothers career advance. Now he is a signature on my trust fund checks from my grandmother." She sighed.

He shrugged. "Mine was a police officer, killed in the line when i was ten. Mom had me and the girls at home and had to be both overnight. Luckily i found sports , and then not so luckily you know what happened to me. "

She was quiet. "I know and i am sorry that someone did that to you , that is wrong on so many levels ."

He shrugged. "Can't go back and undo it and he's in jail but it's why i help other kids so they don't have to deal with that stuff."

She touched his arm. "Then you are a very good and decent man Derek Morgan , i admire you for that so much."

He just shrugged. "Thanks, but really em i'm nothing that special, we all have reasons for doing this job that help us get up in the morning." His face was a litle pink.

Emily smiled. "Why Derek Morgan i think you're blushing, wow that is so endearing ."

He laughed a bit softly. "If you tell Reid or anyone else i'll know where they found out." He winked.

She said "Well i don't want that to happen."


End file.
